What are hot items for Chinese consumers on Singles’ Day? Try facial spa machines, carpet cleaners and underwear washers

The popularity of products like facial spa machines, carpet cleaners and underwear washers amid fears of Covid-19 and widespread home quarantine helped boost sales during this year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival, according to data released by the Tmall platform run by Alibaba Group Holding.

As many as 148 product categories on Tmall reported turnover growth of over 100 per cent from 8pm on October 31 to midnight November 11 – the key shopping period for the Singles’ Day festival – with other popular items including traditional Chinese costumes and home cleaning items, according to selected data released by Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post. It marked a clear difference from last year when camping equipment topped the charts.

The e-commerce giant kicked off its second checkout time for this year’s Singles’ Day at 8pm on Thursday, with sales of facial spa devices surging 56-fold year on year, while carpet cleaning products recorded a 30-fold increase in sales.

In another sign of increased awareness of personal health, smartwatch sales increased 120 per cent, while sales of eyesight-friendly lamps doubled. XR equipment, a new product for consumers to immerse themselves in the metaverse, reported 140 per cent sales growth on Tmall, Alibaba said.

JD.com, a rival e-commerce platform, reported that it sold 1 billion yuan (US$138.3 million) worth of iPhones “within the first minute” of its Singles’ Day campaign.

Alibaba, which created the shopping festival in 2009, stopped disclosing overall Singles’ Day sales data last year. The figure, which has been seen as a barometer on the health of China’s e-commerce industry, was likely withheld because it does not paint a rosy picture.